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If Gov. Hochul was going to give him only one debate, Rep. Lee Zeldin wasn’t going to waste a second making nice. The Republican challenger brought the fight and focus that he has displayed on the campaign trail and scored a decisive victory Tuesday night.
This wasn’t a knockout, but a victory on points because he made specific and realistic promises to improve life in New York. Hochul, meanwhile, mostly played defense.
Even when she played it well, she never really laid out a vision of what four more years would like and how they would be different from now.
In an election where voters all across the spectrum demand big changes, any hint that you are satisfied with the status quo is a loser, and that’s why she failed.
The debate was lively from the start, with Zeldin looking over-caffeinated and Hochul nervous. The moderators did a good job of peppering them with substantive questions and controlling the clock.
Although one hour in one showdown was not nearly enough to give voters a complete picture, those who watched the limited broadcast saw a fair microcosm of the campaign.
Zeldin did Tuesday what he has done for months — doggedly fault the incumbent and offer big plans for big reforms, especially on matters of crime, taxes, energy policy and spending cuts.
